The After-School Occupations of Homeless Youth: Three Narrative Accounts

Abstract

SUMMARY This study describes the after-school and weekend time use of young adolescents residing in a temporary shelter for homeless families in Los Angeles County. Data were collected from three individual interviews, focus groups with 24 young adolescents and one-week time use journals. Data were analyzed qualitatively using the constant comparative method. Three narrative profiles were constructed from these data. Emergent themes and concepts describing the occupational participation of young adolescents during the non-school hours were summarized into three major concepts. These were the following: (a) Occupational Necessity: Social Intensity; (b) Boredom and Shelter Living: Occupational Advantages and Disadvantages; and, (c) Designing a Life: Taking Control. Implications for occupational science, occupational therapy, and public policy were identified with relevant recommendations.

Occupation-based practices and homelessness: A scoping review

“…A number of studies targeted individuals who were misusing substances in the provision of either individual services that aim to promote occupational engagement or group-based activities. This finding is consistent with the emerging, mostly qualitative evidence identifying the occupational impact of substance use, the relationship between lack of occupational engagement and substance misuse, and engagement in pleasurable and meaningful activities as a way of occupying time that is typically used consuming substances (Amos et al, 1999; Cohen & Koegel, 1996; Marshall & Lysaght, 2014; McDonald, 2001; Raphael-Greenfield & Gutman, 2015).…”

“…One article described the role of an occupational therapist as an advocate within the field of homelessness (Marval & Townsend, 2013) through participating in a social media–based documentary. Eleven articles focused on the potential roles for occupational therapists in community building, particularly in advocacy, access to technology and online information on resources, outreach with this group of service users, discharge planning after hospital care, consultant work to design shelter and urban environments that promote occupational engagement, and involvement in policy making, program development, and evaluation at the level of organizations and cities (e.g., McDonald, 2006).…”

“…Seven papers describe the provision of occupational therapy services for children and families experiencing homelessness, typically in shelters, transitional housing for homeless families, or organizations serving women leaving domestic violence (e.g., Schultz-Krohn, 2004). Two reports also identified the need for child and family occupational therapy services within shelters (e.g., McDonald, 2006). None of the studies evaluated the effectiveness of the interventions.…”

Boredom and meaningful activity in adults experiencing homelessness: A mixed-methods study

“…Our preliminary findings build on existing evidence identifying boredom as a profound and pervasive experience with deleterious impacts on the mental and social well-being of homeless persons (McDonald, 2006; Marshall et al, 2017, 2018; Roy et al, 2017). They reveal a serious social injustice faced by this vulnerable population and are a call to action for researchers and practitioners alike.…”

“…Granted, on the surface, the issue of boredom seems like a trivial matter in light of the prevalence of mental and physical illness (Frankish, Hwang, & Quantz, 2005), trauma (Hopper, Bassuk, & Olivet, 2010), severe social exclusion (Shinn, 2010), and stigma (Benbow, Forchuk, & Ray, 2011) faced by this population. However, findings from recent research exploring related phenomena have revealed that boredom is a serious and pervasive experience for homeless persons and that its presence is reported to drive substance use and contribute to lowered mental well-being (Marshall, Lysaght, & Krupa, 2017, 2018; McDonald, 2006; Raphael-Greenfield & Gutman, 2015; Roy, Vallee, Kirsh, Marshall, Marval, & Low, 2017). To date, boredom has received little attention in existing literature related to homelessness.…”